BATTLE MOUNTAIN

Southwest Oregon Fire Patrol34S-4W-01

October 1, 1918: "The fire wardens of the Evans creek valley are now busily engaged in the building of a log cabin on the top of Battle mountain. The work is being overseen by Arthur B. Myers of Rogue River, the supervising fire warden of Jackson county." (Medford Mail Tribune)

May 4, 1929: "Sherman Estell and a crew of men are repairing the telephone line from Rogue River to Battle Mountain lookout station." (Grants Pass Daily Courier)

September 19, 1930: "The appendix of Roy Edwards, of Rogue River, about 28 years old, forest lookout on Battle Mountain, about 40 miles from Medford in the Evans Creek territory, burst day before yesterday while on duty at that elevation. So ill did he become that his wife, there with him, phoned to the forestry service here yesterday noon for rush aid to take the sick man to the nearest hospital. Edwards was in the employ of the state forest fire protection service and Dwight Phipps, district fire warden dispatched Wm. White, John Warner, Sherman Estell and William M. Moore of that service with an ambulance to get Edwards and hurry him to a hospital either at Grants Pass or Medford. They left the city at 3 p.m., carried the sick man down the five miles of rough mountain trail to the nearest point where they could meet the waiting ambulance, and then as Grants Pass was only 22 miles away and Medford was 35, a hurried trip to Grants Pass was made, the Josephine hospital in that city being reached at 11 o'clock last night. The wife and young daughter accompanied him to the hospital. Edwards was found to be in a precarious condition and little hope was held out last night by hospital physicians for his recovery. No word as to Edwards' condition had been received at the Crater National Forest office here at 2 o'clock this afternoon." (Medford Mail Tribune)

October 1, 1930: "Roy Edwards, lookout on Battle mountain in Jackson county, was recently taken ill at his station and had to be carried out on a stretcher. He was taken to the hospital in Medford where he was operated upon for appendicitis. It was found at the time that his appendix had reputured some time previous to the time he was carried out. At last reports received he was holding his own and there was a chance for his recovery." (The Forest Log)

January 15, 1934: "Despite rains of the past few days, work has been progressing rapidly on the road being constructed in the vicinity of the Evans Creek CCC camp, by ECW men stationed in the camp. Upon completion of the road work, a lookout tower will be built atop Battle mountain, about six miles from the camp." (Medford Mail Tribune)

February 1934: "Reports from the southern part of the state are to the effect that considerable work is being done by the CCC camp located on Evans Creek. At the present time the men are constructing a road on up the stream that will open up a country heretofore inaccessible except by trail. The plans also call for the construction of a lookout tower and cabin on Battle mountain at a later date. While this camp is under the administration of the federal government as an O & C camp, nevertheless the work is all being done within the state protective unit." (The Forest Log)

May 1, 1935: "Final work on the 21 miles of forest telephone line from Medford to Meadows has just been completed by the Medford side camp contingent of CCC Camp Wimer, working under the direction of Foreman W.A. White. The newly constructed line connects into the Rogue River-King Mountain-Battle Mountain-Medford line, which will serve as a means of communication between the two lookout stations and District Fire Warden Dwight Phipps' forestry headquarters two miles north of Central Point on the old Crater Lake road." (Medford Mail Tribune)

May 28, 1935: Battle Mountain lookout station's observation tower, now a 'bird house' attached to the tops of two fir trees will be replaced by a first class tower, stronger and safer. Surveyor Lou Amort is now busy laying out a road to the summit of Battle Mountain so that lookout men may drive to the very foot of the new tower. The same will be done eventually for King Mountain. Mr. Amort recently finished the reconnaissance work for the Jack creek road, which will probably be the first of the new truck trails to be completed." (Medford Mail Tribune)

July 1, 1935: "Vern Orr has gone up to his summer station on Battle Mountain, where he is lookout man for the forestry department." (Medford Mail Tribune)

August 9, 1935: "Fire interruptions and low company strength may prevent the Wimer CCC from reaching the objectives laid out for summer accomplishment, it is thought here. At the present time, the road to the top of Battle Mountain is receiving major attention, the object being to cut through to the observation tower at that high point so that material may be moved in by truck to build the new tower before the fall rains commence." (Medford Mail Tribune)

August 9, 1935: "At the present time, the road to the top of Battle mountain is receiving major attention, the object being to cut through to the observation tower at that high so that material may be moved in by truck to build the new tower before the fall rains commence." (Medford Mail Tribune)

September 5, 1935: "Gail Huggins, who learned caterpillar bulldozer operation in the CCC, had the honor of setting the first Wimer machine on top of Battle Mountain Tuesday. Arrival of Huggins at the top of southern Oregon's historic Indian battleground signalized victory for Wimer's technical force in the race to complete a truck trail to the summit before the fall rains. Material for the new 40-foot observation tower has been received and by the end of the week trucks will be able to travel up Fry Gulch to the Battle Mountain-Fry Peak ridge and thence to the summit of Battle Mountain. Lew Amort, junior civil engineer, will build the new tower with 2x8 creosoted laminated planks. The house at the top will be of the nested type strongly braced. Construction will be done with CCC labor. The new road passes above the spring on the Fry Peak side of Battle Mountain and makes one and a half turns around the mountain to reach the summit. Viewed from an airplane the road will look like a huge question mark." (Medford Mail Tribune)

October 1, 1935: "The road to the top of Battle Mountain which has received major attention here during the past month because of the danger of early rains preventing the transportation of material for the new observation tower, has been cut through to the summit. Material for the new 'nested' type tower, a forty footer, began to reach the summit before the middle of September. Junior Civil Engineer Lew Amort will build the new tower slated for completion before the fall rains commence. The house for the observer will sit on 8x8 legs made of 2x8 creosoted plank, set in a concrete base. A Wimer crew will help Amort with the construction. Carl Husen and John Nelson will be chief carpenters." (Medford District (CCC) News)

October 1935: "The road to the top of Battle mountain, which has received major attention here during the past month because of the danger of early rains preventing the transportation of material for the new observation tower, has been cut through to the summit. Material for the new 'nested' type tower, a forty-footer, began to reach the summit before the middle of September. Junior Civil Engineer Lew Amort will build the new tower slated for completion before the fall rains commence. The house for the observer will be set on 8 x 8 legs made of 2 x 8 creosoted plank, set in a concrete base. A Wimer crew will help Amort with the construction. Carl Husen and John Nelson will be chief carpenters." (The Forest Log)

November 1, 1935: "The new glassed-in observation tower on top of windy Battle Mt. peak will likely be finished by the time this District News appears. Painted silver gray, the tower will be attractive as well as useful. The concrete foundation and laminated legs of the 40-foot structure were constructed by Civil Engineer Lew Amort who then turned the job over to M.M. Manning, ECW tower and bridge foreman. Manning is building the 'birdhouse' a garage, toilet and garbage unit. A truck trail has been roughed out to the base of the tower. Foreman Manning has been building towers since 1932. So far this year he has turned out an impressive number of posts for the forest sentinels. Cougar Pass, Landers Butte, Bachman Butte, Big Dutchman, Signal Tree, Bateman Butte, and Brewster Rock are topped with examples of his work. Wimer's Carl Husen and John Nelson are Manning's carpenter assistants. The Battle Mountain structure is of the type authorized by the Forest Service July 10, 1935. The house is 14x14x8, all furnishing built-in." (Medford District (CCC) News)

November 1935: "The new lookout tower on Battle mountain in Jackson county was completed during the latter part of October. About the same time finishing touches were being put on the road leading to the summit. The road is five and a half miles long and will do away with the packing that for many years has been necessary to take supplies to the lookout. This marks the completion of the first section of the 75-mile road and telephone line project laid out as the two-year project work plans for the Wimer camp. Work at the present time is being carried on to develop a road into King Mountain, another lookout in that district." (The Forest Log)

October 8, 1936: "The 50 foot tower constructed at Battle Mountain last spring took 810 man hours to build." (in a letter from the District Warden to the State Forester)

1936: "The erection of a new standard lookout tower on Battle Mountain to replace the old one located in a tree." (Southwest Oregon District Annual Report)

October 3, 1957: "All state forestry department lookouts, except the one at Battle mountain, are down, as the result of continuing rain, the southwestern district office reported Wednesday. The Battle mountain station is being maintained mostly for radio relay purposes." (Medford Mail Tribune)

​October 15, 1957: "Battle Mountain lookout was closed Monday afternoon, the southwest district headquarters of the state forestry department reported. It was the last of the lookouts in the district to be shut down. Battle Mountain had been maintained as a radio relay point between headquarters and men from some areas in the field and for spotting possible hunter fires." (Medford Mail Tribune)

June 23, 1963: "Typical Lookout -- This state forestry department lookout on Battle mountain, manned for the 1963 season, is just like many others from which southern Oregon woods and lands will be guarded against fire by trained fire finders. Battle Mountain is north of Wimer." Caption with tower photo.(Medford Mail Tribune)

1967: The lookout was destroyed.

The NGS Data Sheet

STATION DESCRIPTION

DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1943 (JCS)STATION IS THE FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT ON BATTLE MOUNTAIN WHICHIS APPROXIMATELY 23 MILES NE OF GRANTS PASS AND 15 MILES W OFTRAIL. THE STATION IS NOT MARKED AND WAS NOT VISITED BY THISPARTY. IT WAS CUT IN FROM STATIONS ONION 2 1938 AND R R GAP 1943.